by Cher Etan
“But seriously, we’re engaged to be married and you don’t know where I live.”
“What happened to just wearing the ring until I decide?”
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
Sophie’s soft laughter down the line made him shiver as if she’d ran her hand down his naked spine.
“So you’ll come tonight, maybe stay over?”
“Are you kidding me? My grandfather would have a fit.”
“What? You told him we were engaged right?”
“You mean-“
“Yes yes, I mean pre-engaged or whatever.”
“Ooh irritable already. Interesting to know.”
“Anyway, going back to the pertinent issue…”
“Come for dinner at my house and ask my grandfather if I can sleep over at your place. If he says yes, I’m all yours,” Sophie said.
“Coward,” Tony teased.
“Guilty as charged. So you’ll do it?” she replied placidly.
“Of course. I gotta go now. See you later.”
“Bye.”
Tony hung up and looked up at the sign in front of the shop he’d stopped in front of. Mikhail’s Emporium of Empirical Delights it read. Tony smiled every time he saw it. What did it even mean? He figured Uncle Mikhail had just translated it straight across from Russian, but even so, it didn’t make sense. The shop mainly sold Russian liquor – it had the best vodka to be found in America in Tony’s humble opinion; but that wasn’t all that was sold there. Mikhail Petrov also dealt with procurement – or at least that’s what he called it. He pushed open the door and went in. His Aunt Cara was behind the counter writing something in a ledger. She looked up when the bell rang with a smile on her face. It widened when she saw who it was.
“Anton! Long time no see,” she greeted, stretching out her hands to him. He grasped them in turn, bringing them to his lips to kiss them both.
“Aunt Cara. How delightful to see you again.”
“What can I do you for Tony?” she asked keeping hold of his hands.
“I need to find somebody,” he explained as she led him to the back where there was a seating area.
“Who do you need to find?” she asked seating him down and going to pour him a drink.
“A boy - or rather, he would be a young man now. His name is Solomon Devereux.”
*****
Sophie looked through her accounting notes trying to concentrate on the equations she needed for tomorrow’s test. She had gone through them many times and had been pretty sure she knew them back to front but now she could hardly focus on them.
“Tony. Effing. Romanov. Get out of my head,” she murmured to herself.
“I beg your pardon?” a stiff voice said from her doorway making her start. She looked up to see Mr. Rodham standing at her door.
“Mr. Rodham!” she said standing up quickly.
“Ms. Devereux, do you have a minute?”
“Of course,” Sophie said nervously. She gestured to the seat, waiting to see if he would take it before she sat down herself.
Mr. Rodham stepped into her office but didn’t take the seat so she remained standing too.
“I understand that we have a conflict of interest.”
“Oh? What conflict?”
“Mr. Romanov. He is a client of ours. I understand you have something of a…private relationship?”
“Yes. I wasn’t aware that was a problem.”
“It is when the relationship began in the course of conducting business. Not only is it extremely unprofessional but we are carrying a rather delicate operation for Mr. Romanov. He is also very influential in certain circles. What happens if this relationship goes badly while we are in the middle of conducting this investigation?” Mr. Rodham asked.
Sophie opened her mouth then closed it. There was exactly nothing she could say. She lifted her hand up to her face, looking at the ring thereon. Mr. Rodham’s eyes traveled to her hand and fixed on her finger. He stared at the ring for a long moment.
“I see. Well. In that case, I wish you the very best,” Mr. Rodham said bowing stiffly. He turned and walked out of her office, leaving Sophie completely speechless in his wake. She slumped back into her seat with a deep indrawn breath and then blew it out.
“Wow,” she gasped, before getting back to work.
She left early to do some shopping for dinner. Tony had texted that he would arrive at around 7pm so she didn’t have much time. She wanted to cook him jambalaya, just because it reminded her of home and she wanted him to experience a little bit of that. They had rice already in the pantry, but she needed some fresh chicken and some spices. Lucky it didn’t take long to make.
As she opened the door to her apartment later, hands laden with groceries she could hear her grandfather whistling as he bustled about. She had called him at work to see if he could cancel his weekly poker game for this dinner. He was surprisingly game to do so, making Sophie wonder at his motives. But since she wasn’t looking any gift horses in the mouth…
“G-Money!” she called as she hauled her loads to the kitchen.
“Yes I’m here. In the living room,” he called. Sophie unpacked her groceries and then went to kiss him hallo.
“So when is your man friend coming?”
“Seven pm. Are you going to help me cook this jambalaya or what?”
“Did you bring me beer?” Elijah asked getting up to follow her to the kitchen.
“Does a goat eat handkerchiefs?”
They were happily cooking when the doorbell rang. Sophie checked the clock; it read 6:49pm. He was early.
“I’ll get it,” Elijah offered and went to answer the door. Sophie could hear two deep voices in conversation, but not what they were saying. She looked down at her hands, which had begun to inexplicably shake. She was also feeling a little dizzy. This was getting a little ridiculous.
Tony and her grandfather walked into the kitchen, with Tony carrying a bottle of wine.
“Hi.” He said giving her the intense ice blue stare that turned her insides to mush.
“Hi,” she tried to say, but all that came out was a husky whisper. On meeting his eyes, her mind had gone back to the last time she’d seen him alone. He had come up to her room to ‘help her pack’ as he put it. Her clothes were everywhere, she couldn’t seem to get organized and the ferry would be leaving at eleven. Tony had taken them to all the touristy spots on the island and at night her grandfather had feigned tiredness so they didn’t feel guilty about ditching him after dinner. After saying goodnight to him Tony had led her up to the attic, telling her he had a surprise for her. The surprise had turned out to be an empty room with a wooden floor and a disco ball spinning around the ceiling refracting blue, yellow and red light all over the room. She had almost died laughing. They had slow danced for half the night to Jodeci, Luther Vandross and Louis Armstrong.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for an R&B guy,” she’d whispered in his ear.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit racist to say?” he had asked making her howl like a loon with laughter.
It had been fun and exciting in ways she never could have imagined slow dancing in an empty attic could be. After all, who the hell slow danced these days? Certainly no-one she knew. The passion had built up slowly with the light brushes of skin on skin and his soft warm breath on her neck. She had arched it to give him more room to nuzzle. He rubbed his face against her, groaning softly now and then and rubbing his thick erect shaft against her with increasing urgency. Suddenly it seemed the madness was upon them and he hustled her against the wall, pulling off the tights she was wearing with shaking fingers. His fingers trailed up her legs to her butt and he squeezed passionately kissing her urgently as he did so. Her mind had gone blank; she wanted to undo his flies, but couldn’t quite master the skill to do so. She went down on her knees and got both hands on his buttons, managing to undo them at last. She grabbed hold of his erect member softly kneading as he arched his body toward her. Taking the hi
nt, she closed her mouth on it, sucking gently. Tony groaned out loud and shuddered, his whole body going rigid. She licked at him back and forth as he murmured incoherently into the wall above her. Suddenly he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her upright. He took hold of her thighs and lifted so that her legs were able to wrap around his waist. He rammed into her before she could think or move and her mind went white and blank with the shock of his immediacy.
“Holy God,” she whispered as he slammed her into the wall again and again.
“No. Just me,” Tony whispered back, laughter in his voice. She would have slapped the back of his head if she wasn’t too busy holding on for dear life.
His movements got more frantic as the color suffused his face and veins stood out in his forehead. He was murmuring her name like a prayer; the combination of that and the constant hammering below had her white hot and ready to blow like a gasket. It felt like her whole body would shatter into pieces... then it did! But that was not the end.
Hot waves of passion followed, making her shiver everywhere they touched. Her body went weak... limp... she felt like she might pass out. Sophie felt Tony’s body shake as he too came to climax and she smiled.
*****
That had been the first of several sessions that night and now she was expected to pull herself together and pack?
“Hey,” he had said as he walked into her room.
“Hey,” she had replied heart speeding up.
“Okay, so packing. I know you’re still worn out from last night, so why don’t you just sit there on the bed and I’ll pack for you?” he’d said. She had smiled as she jumped on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.
“I love you,” she’d said with contentment closing her eyes. Then she’d realized what she just said and her eyes opened wide. She looked at him and opened her mouth to clarify that she hadn’t meant that the way it sounded but then saw that he was nonchalantly folding her unmentionables into her bag and closed her mouth again. She also closed her eyes and decided to pretend it hadn’t happened.
And now here he was in her kitchen, giving her the thousand yard stare that seemed to go through her like laser beams.
“Alright you two; break it up already,” Elijah said coming into the kitchen behind Tony.
“Break what up? We’re across the room from each other,” Sophie grumbled prompting Tony to take the two steps that would bring them up next to each other. He reached out a hand and she took it, smiling into his eyes. He smiled briefly at her and then his eyes flicked to her grandfather and he let go of her hand.
“I hope this wine is okay for dinner,” he said as he put it down on the counter top. Sophie laughed as Elijah came to pick up the bottle and examine it.
“Jambalaya goes with everything,” she assured him.
“Yeah, but this is good anyway,” Elijah commented absently as he opened it to breathe.
“By the way Elijah, can I borrow your grand-daughter for the night?” Tony asked.
“Last I checked she wasn’t a commodity I could lend,” Elijah replied squinting at him.
“That’s the spirit grandpa. Women’s lib all the way,” Sophie interjected causing Tony to glare at her.
“What I mean is…you gotta ask her,” Elijah continued.
“I did. She told me to ask you,” Tony replied, making Sophie glare at him.
“Awww, baby girl, you’re not a baby anymore. If you want to go spend the night at your boyfriend’s house, then you should go,” Elijah said.
Sophie cleared her throat uncomfortably. Talking about sex to her grandfather was something new to them. She stirred her pot industriously waiting for the awkward moment to pass. Tony was smirking as he leaned against the counter top and her grandfather had settled in the rocking chair at the corner.
“Twenty minutes and dinner will be ready.” She announced.
“Can I do anything?” Tony asked straightening up.
“You can lay the table,” she offered and Tony hastened to do so.
They sat down to dinner and Elijah said a prayer. Tony was unfamiliar with the form, but he followed Sophie’s lead and put his head down and closed his eyes.
“Some have meat that cannot eat, and some could eat that want it. We have meat and we can eat and so may God be thanked. Amen,” Elijah intoned solemnly.
“Amen,” Sophie and Tony echoed and then they dug into the jambalaya. They ate in silence for a while, as Whitney Houston played in the background.
“This is really delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like it,” Tony complimented after a while.
“Thank you. I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Sophie said as she spooned some chicken into her mouth.
“I’m enjoying this. Sitting around a table, listening to music, eating great food. It’s wonderful. Thank you for including me in your family dinner,” Tony said with a smile on his face.
Elijah looked him over for a moment and then said, “Thank you for giving us a reason to sit around the table and enjoy our meal.”
“Okay, enough with the niceties. How about those Broncos huh?” Sophie said.
“What Broncos?” Elijah asked.
“Oh you know…the ones who do the thing with the ball,” Sophie said. Elijah and Tony both burst out laughing at that.
“She’s funny. I like that about her,” Tony said to Elijah.
“Yeah she funny,” Elijah agreed, “Only I don’t think she mean to be.”
After dinner they had coffee in the living room and then Elijah bid them goodnight and went off to bed.
“So? Are you coming with me?” Tony asked.
“Sure. Let me just get some things together,” Sophie said and went off to her room. She was a little nervous about going to his house, it all felt so serious now. Everything seemed to be happening at the speed of light.
“Ready?” he asked from her doorway startling her badly.
“Yeah, lets go,” she said, hoisting her rucksack onto her shoulder. Tony reached out his hand and snagged it off her shoulder, hoisting it on his own.
“Oh, thank you.”
Tony lived in an apartment block in the middle of the city. It was an exclusive neighborhood, but his apartment was sparsely furnished and looked barely lived-in. The furnishings were strictly functional and there were barely any personal touches about the place.
“Did you just move in?”
“No, I’ve lived here for six years,” Tony replied taking her coat.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Erm, no reason,” Sophie said, sitting down on the sofa. It was made of soft black leather and was very comfortable to lounge upon. It didn’t feel like anyone was accustomed to lounging upon it though.
“Are you not here much?” she asked him crossing her legs.
“Well, actually no, I can’t say that I am. My businesses are all over so I travel a bit.”
“Sounds lonely,” Sophie said, patting the seat next to her.
Tony came and sat down next to her, “Well yeah. I never thought of it like that before, but I guess it’s true.”
“Is that why you latched onto me so fast?” Sophie asked, looking Tony dead in the eye.
Tony stared at her in shock, “Latched onto you? I wanted you the moment I saw your ass on the sidewalk.”
“What?” Sophie choked out.
“That first day we met; do you remember? I saw you on the sidewalk outside your building. You tripped and almost fell and then you got up and walked away into your building. I followed you without even thinking about it. It was pure instinct. I just knew.”
“What did you know?” Sophie asked curiously.
Tony hesitated, glancing at her as if assessing her ability to absorb information, “I just knew that I had found the one.”
Sophie threw her head back and laughed until tears were rolling down her cheeks. Tony watched her laugh an ironic smile on his face.
“What? You don’t believe me?” he asked through her laughte
r.
“Oh, I believe you. I just can’t get over how corny you are. I would never have imagined it of you the first time I saw those ice blue eyes of yours.”
“What did you think when you saw them? Were you attracted to me too?”
“Hardly.”
“Not even a little bit?”
“I wasn’t thinking about you like that. You were just a potential client.”
“Ouch.”
“Hey don’t go catching hurt feelings now. My ass will be grass if you fire us because we don’t work out.”
“We can’t have that happening to your ass now can we?” Tony said with an appreciative look at the part in question. Sophie hit the back of his head, but it just made him laugh. He stood up dragging her with him.
“Come on, I have some interesting things I mean to do with that ass, and they have nothing to do with grass,” he winked as he led her to his room.
*****
Sophie woke up first in the morning from the deepest sleep she’d had since Katrina. She looked around her, disoriented for a minute and then to the side, where Tony’s tousled sleeping head lay on the same pillow she’d slept on. His sleeping form woke her body in the same way that his caressing hands had done the night before and she knew where she was again. She looked for her phone on the side table to check the time. 5am. She crept out of bed and went into the shower luxuriating in the thick, warm burst of water pressure that poured over her.
“So this is how the other half lives,” she murmured to herself as she poured shower gel onto a loofah and applied it with industry to her aching drippy nether parts. ‘We never did get around to getting protection,' she thought with trepidation, ‘bollocks.’
Tony had all the latest gadgetry in his pristine kitchen including a cappuccino maker, which didn’t look too complicated. Trying to dry off in Tony’s terrycloth bathrobe after her shower gave her time to figure out how to use the machine. She was rooting around in a cupboard looking for coffee beans when a pair of hands closed around her waist.
She bit back a scream and turned around ready to punch Tony in the gut but he covered her lips with his and held her tight and so she was distracted. Her hands snaked around his neck and she pulled him closer, kissing him for all she was worth.